


Sweet

by baekeries



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Side!Sebaek, they're in their 20s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 09:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15021980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baekeries/pseuds/baekeries
Summary: Jongin just wants to know the name of the tall, suited regular who frequents the Starbucks he works at, but the man seems bent on giving superhero names instead.





	Sweet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ciaoyeol](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ciaoyeol/gifts).



> [title](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ31pyTZdh0) by cigarettes after sex. based off [this prompt](https://twitter.com/jonginplease/status/997719308233981953).  
> for Caye, happy belated graduation ♡  
> p.s. I hope the person who wrote the prompt likes it too, if they read this!
> 
> (also everything written is for the sake of the fic & not my actual opinions ok!!)

“So which superhero are you today?” Jongin asks boredly, not even bothering to look up. He doesn’t need to look to know who is standing in front of him. Okay, that’s a lie—he definitely looked up and saw the man entering. He would also be lying if he says he isn’t expecting this particular customer. Their Starbucks is typically popular among the university students, so it’s always refreshing to see an occasional suit. 

The man is a regular whose name Jongin doesn’t know. He always comes in the evening and orders a vanilla latte with whipped cream, and would sit by the window with his laptop till the store closes. Sometimes, he would come with a friend, but even then Jongin could never quite catch his name. It’s quite frustrating, really—the man is exactly Jongin’s type, if he even has one. Men in suits are Jongin’s weakness. 

The first time Jongin saw the guy was when he was still pretty new at Starbucks. It was off-peak period and his co-worker had gone off for a smoke break, leaving Jongin to tend to the store alone. “Welcome to Starbucks,” Jongin chirped, his back still against the customer as he rearranged some items in the cabinet. “May I take your order?” 

“Vanilla latte with whipped cream, please. Venti,” the guy answered, his deep voice startling Jongin. Jongin turned to look up at him and studied the man closely. He seemed a bit too young to be in a suit, and Jongin couldn’t help but wonder if he was a CEO of some big company. The man had really nice eyes and pretty plush lips, and he had glasses on. _Mm, glasses, my second weakness,_ Jongin thought, chewing on his bottom lip out of habit. 

“And your name?” Jongin purred as he gazed intently at the man.

“N-name?” The man spluttered, and Jongin nodded. He frowned as he thought about it, and Jongin nearly laughed. Why would anyone think about this? It was just a name. 

“Colossus…?” the man finally said in an unsure tone, and Jongin looked at him like he grew two heads.

“Colossus,” Jongin deadpanned, “like, the x-men dude.”

The man nodded seriously. “Jesus, you’re for real,” Jongin muttered under his breath. He’s had customers giving him funny names in the past week he had been working there, but it was the first time someone so seriously gave him the name of a freaking comic book character. And Colossus wasn’t really a popular superhero to begin with, so Jongin just knew that this customer was a huge comic book nerd. 

When the man collected his drink, he stopped Jongin for a bit, as if he had something to say. Jongin tilted his head in response and waited for the man to say something, but all that came out was a strangled noise. Jongin stifled a laugh and put a smile on his face instead. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“...nothing. Have a nice day, Jongin-ssi. Thank you,” the man said, beaming at him and returning to his seat.

Jongin’s heart might have fluttered a little.

“Hello?” Jongin snaps out of his thoughts, a blush creeping up his cheeks when he realises how close their faces are. The man coughs awkwardly and jolts back.

“Sorry, you were daydreaming,” the regular mutters, looking at the menu. Jongin subtly rolls his eyes. It isn’t like the man is going to buy a different drink—he always orders the same thing. _Always._ Iced vanilla latte with whipped cream.

“That would be five tw-” 

“A mocha frappe, please,” the man cuts in. “Actually, make it two. Both with chocolate powder.” Jongin’s jaw nearly drops. _Two months_ of ordering the same damn drink every single time he comes in, and now he suddenly has a different order? Jongin is more than surprised.

“Ah, okay. Name?” Jongin asks sheepishly, regaining his composure. _Be professional, you dimwit._  

“Oh, Hulk,” the man replies, grinning. Jongin sighs exasperatedly as he turns to write the name on a cup. He has kind of given up on asking for a real name, but he’s still holding onto the hope that the man will give it to him one day. 

He puts on his best smile for the man as he takes the cash from him, but the man isn’t even looking at Jongin. He’s smiling dumbly at his phone, and Jongin clears his throat to get his attention, thrusting the change into his hands. “Your change. Thanks. Please have a seat, _Hulk_.”

“Thank you, Jongin-ssi,” the man promptly replies.

“Are you teasing me? You know my name but I _still_ don’t know yours,” Jongin sulks, and the customer laughs.

“Your shift is over soon, right? Have a nice day and take care, it’s cold out today,” the man smiles, walking away. Jongin blushes at the man’s kindness and mumbles a thanks. He’s about to start on the drinks when one of his co-workers, Sehun, enters the bar area. 

“Thank fucking god you’re here, I’m bloody spent. School was a horror—I’ll text you about it later. Anyway my shift has ended, so I’m leaving,” Jongin quickly says in one breath, taking his apron off. “Two mocha frappes with chocolate powder for the Hulk. Be _generous_ ,” he adds. 

“It’s a slow day,” Sehun comments, taking the cups from the counter. “No vanilla latte today?”

Jongin shrugs in reply, going to the kitchen to fix himself a meal. It isn’t like he cares, anyway—not really. Sure, the man is attractive, and Jongin is more than curious as to why the man ordered two drinks this time when he’s alone, but it isn’t his place to ask. Hell, he doesn’t even know the guy’s name. 

The man comes in pretty often. Three times a week, sometimes four, most of the times alone, and always in a suit—probably coming from work. Sometimes, they make small talk about their day and comics, but every time Jongin asks for his name, he gets nothing. The man seems determined to play this game with Jongin.

 Every time he comes, he would sit at the bar stools by the window. But this time, Jongin notices as he walks out of the kitchen to change out of his work clothes, the man is sitting comfortably in one of the sofa seats near the back of the shop, where the workers usually sit at during their break. His back is facing the kitchen area, so Jongin takes a moment to admire the man’s back profile as he stares somewhat longingly out of the window. Waiting for a lover, perhaps? It causes an uneasy feeling in his chest.

“So many changes today,” Jongin notes to himself, chuckling softly. Taking his food out from the kitchen, he goes into the bar to make a mocha frappe for himself, adding a huge dollop of whipped cream on it. He grins, proud of his creation. He approaches his resting area and sets his food quietly on the table behind Mr. Superhero—as Jongin has dubbed him, although it’s quite a mouthful—and sits with his back facing the man. They are not booth seats, but Jongin knows the sofa is big enough to cover his entire body, so Mr. Superhero wouldn’t even know he’s there. 

Normally, he would go straight home after getting his staff meal, but after two months of waiting around for a name to this face, he’s fed up. He’s extremely curious as to what Mr. Superhero’s real name is, so maybe if he stays for a little longer, he’ll know…

“Noona! You’re here early,” Mr. Superhero exclaims, and Jongin frowns. Is he dating someone older or is that his sister? Jongin wants to turn to peek and see if they look alike, but he doesn’t want to give himself away. He quietly chews on his food and sips on his drink, straining his ears just in case he misses a name somewhere.

His phone lights up, and he glances at it to see a message from Sehun.

 

 **Oh Sehun  
** _wow Jongin the heart-throb, pining  
__for someone? interesting_  

 **You  
** _Men like him are hard to come by  
_ _Gotta try somehow_

 **Oh Sehun  
** _you call that trying? lol good luck_

 **You  
** _I’ll have you know we’ve made a lot  
_ _of progress since we first met_

 **Oh Sehun  
** _whats the point of the progress if u  
_ _r not gg to use it to ur advantage???_

 

 _“Don’t know your obsession with Starbucks… Mom’s been asking…”_ Jongin silently groans. He can’t catch anything they’re saying except for useless bits and pieces, but he now knows from eavesdropping that Mr. Superhero is indeed with his sister. Jongin stays there for an hour or so before the woman finally leaves, and he acts casual as he turns around to look at her. _What the fuck, they look exactly the same._ He’s careful not to stare, and returns to finishing his food. As he finishes up the last drop of his mocha frappe, he whines quietly to himself. Still no name for the man.

He decides to stay to do his homework, since he knows he won’t get it done when he gets back home. He’s startled when the sofa chair behind him makes a sound—the regular is leaving. He wills himself not to look back just in case the man notices, and sighs heavily when the man is gone.

Mr. Superhero always stays until they close up, what’s so different now? Jongin’s not sure he likes the change.

  
  


The next day is a Saturday, and Saturdays are Jongin’s full shift days. He’s only a part-timer, but he knows how busy it can get with so little staff—and it’s also because he has nothing to do, so he may as well just work. Saturday is also his favourite day to work because Mr. Superhero comes in in the afternoon. Jongin still doesn’t know what the man works as, but it doesn’t matter to him although he _is_ curious. Sure, they’ve talked, but it’s mostly about Jongin himself and comic books.

The more he thinks of it, the more he feels the man seems familiar, but he can’t quite put his finger on it.

He greets his manager, Minseok, when he enters the store. It’s surprisingly quiet on Saturday mornings, but the place fills up in the afternoon, so they have to prepare for that. “Minseok-hyung! Good morning,” he chirps as he puts his apron on.

“Morning,” Minseok replies. “Did your superhero guy come in yesterday?”

“Yeah, he did. But he didn’t stay till closing this time. Weird, right?” Jongin says, wiping the cups. Almost everyone in the cafe knows about his interest in the tall, suited regular, but Jongin doesn’t care. He’s the one who made it known, anyway. It’s fun to have something to talk about and look forward to during work.

Minseok opens his mouth to say something, but then he closes it and hums instead. Jongin raises an eyebrow at that, putting the cup down. He folds his arms and leans against the counter, staring at Minseok. “What?” 

“Nothing,” Minseok says almost too quickly, and Jongin knows he’s hiding something.

“Spit it out,” Jongin coaxes, “is it about Mr. Superhero?”

“It’s really nothing,” Minseok insists, and Jongin laughs at the way his eyes are darting back and forth. 

“Hyung, you’re really bad at lying, you know?” Jongin says. He purses his lip as he thinks of a way to make Minseok spill. “I’ll work full-shifts every day for two weeks during my break if you tell me everything you know about Mr. Superhero,” he promises, determined to know what his manager was hiding. 

Minseok looks at him, mouth agape. “Wow, you’re really serious about him, huh?”

Jongin shrugs, going back to wiping the cups. “It’s good money and I’m pretty sure there’s something you’re not telling me about him.” He gasps, setting his cloth down. “Don’t tell me I’ve been pining for a married man?!”

Minseok snorts as he cleans their coffee machine. “How about this: if you can convince him to buy any drink other than the damn vanilla latte, I’ll tell you what I know after work.”

Jongin grins as he moves towards the register to serve an incoming customer. “He ordered something different yesterday by the way, so you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“But,” Jongin starts, “is he _actually_ married?” 

Minseok playfully throws a cloth at him and walks away.

  


When the regular comes in, Jongin has to do a double take. _Mr. Superhero is not in a suit._ Jongin knows he’s here with someone, but he can’t take his eyes off the man he’s interested in. He doesn’t have his hair styled like he normally does—it looks particularly soft and fluffy and Jongin notices that it’s actually pretty wavy—and he’s in a simple t-shirt and jeans. Jongin thinks he looks _extremely_ cute today. Normally, he fantasises about getting wrecked by a certain man, but when he looks at this ball of _fluff_ in front of him, Jongin wants to be the one to wreck him. 

He unconsciously licks his lips as he boldly stares at the man, and the person Mr. Superhero is with has to shout for Jongin to look at him. Jongin is startled, but he turns to the friend to smile. “Hello! Sorry about that. May I take your order?”

“Yes you may, Jongin-ssi,” the friend teases as he looks at Jongin’s nametag, and Jongin can’t help but notice how good-looking the friend is too. _God sure took his time on them._ “Two vanilla lattes please, one iced with whipped cream and one hot, for Baekhyun and _Aquaman_ over here,” the friend winks, handing Jongin the money. Jongin has to resist the urge to roll his eyes, and he almost accepts the money before he glances at Mr. Superhero and remembers the deal he made with Minseok. 

“Would you like to try our new drink instead?” Jongin suggests, showing them the promotion menu. “It’s seasonal and-” 

“No thanks, just the vanilla latte please,” Baekhyun smiles apologetically. “The grumpy man here doesn’t like trying anything new. He just wants the latte.” 

“He ordered a mocha frappe yesterday!” Jongin retorts, and Mr. Superhero looks surprised, as if he doesn’t expect Jongin to remember, but then he makes a face.

“I didn’t like it,” the regular says, scrunching his nose up, very cutely in Jongin’s opinion. “Just reminds me of why I rarely ever try something new.”

“It’s a good drink, you just don’t know how to appreciate it,” Jongin says accusingly as he glares at him. The man grumbles under his breath and Jongin doesn’t catch it, because he’s too preoccupied with Baekhyun who is faux whispering into his ear. “Did he really do that?” 

“I was with noona!” the regular tries to reason, but the both of them pay no heed.

Jongin nods a few times. “It’s my favourite drink,” he sulks, taking the money from Baekhyun’s hands. He misses the way Mr. Superhero’s eyes linger on him as Jongin smiles warmly at Baekhyun.  


“That’s the guy?” Baekhyun asks, sipping on his drink. The man in front of him nods once, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. Baekhyun whistles lowly as he looks at Jongin, giving him a little wave when the barista notices him. “He’s quite the looker. Pretty impressive, I must say, Park Chanyeol. And you ordered something different yesterday? And _coincidentally,_ it’s Jongin’s favourite drink? Interesting…”

“It’s not like we’re together. He doesn’t even know me, this is completely one-sided,” Chanyeol grumbles. “And yes, I got the drink because Jongin likes it, so what?” he says defensively, “I ended up not liking it anyway.” He looks out of the window, uninterested in his coffee. He doesn’t even like Starbucks! Yes to coffee, but just not Starbucks. 

“He knows you, he probably just doesn’t recognise you,” Baekhyun corrects him. “And he’s _definitely_ interested in you. Why won’t you just give him your name and save both of you the hassle? I know your dumb ass can’t tell, but I was so embarrassed to refer to you as _Aquaman_. Jason Momoa doesn’t deserve this disrespect,” he adds.

“I’m afraid that he won’t remember me even after I give him my name. Or better yet, that he’ll remember me as ‘that fat ferret boy’,” Chanyeol mumbles, resting his head on the table.

Who would remember a nobody from middle school? And Chanyeol knows he’s lost a lot of weight and gotten a lot taller since then, plus he ditched those hideous half-rimmed glasses—it would be hard for anyone from then to recognise him now. “Anyway, I’ve been giving him my name through superheroes. He just can’t connect the dots.”

“I’m sure you weren’t that much of a loser in middle school,” Baekhyun simpers, and Chanyeol laughs at his words. “And also, how is he supposed to know your name through superheroes? Good lord, even I didn’t realise what you were doing until you told me. An acrostic, really?” 

“You’ve seen my photos and stuff from middle school. I was _the_ loser,” Chanyeol immediately retorts. “And okay, maybe it’s stupid and I should at least give him a hint, but I’m kinda scared.” 

“Well, if it helps, I’d date you,” Baekhyun confesses, dropping the name issue, and Chanyeol rolls his eyes at his words. “You’d date anyone as long as they’re nice to you, Baek.”

“Can’t help it,” Baekhyun smiles. “How do you even remember him from middle school? I can’t even remember my classmates from then.”

“It was a small school, and Jongin is just… unforgettable. We were kind of friends. Besides, he hasn’t changed much since then. He still has the same features he had when he was in ninth grade,” Chanyeol explains, stealing glances at Jongin. Jongin catches him in the act and Chanyeol flushes, but the barista only grins at him. “Plus, I may or may not have found his social media.”

“You’re not even a fan of social media. You don’t even have accounts for anything except Facebook,” Baekhyun deadpans. “Anyway, you’re probably gonna be here till they start to close and I’ve got a hot date later, so I’m leaving at four-ish. Gotta get home and make myself look even more irresistible than I already am,” he says, stirring his drink.

Chanyeol doesn’t bother telling Baekhyun that he recently created an Instagram account to keep up with Jongin and internet trends. He figures he’ll tell him soon, but not at the moment. “ _Please_ remember to text me updates. And if you need me to bail you out on the date too. But not out of jail,” he jokes, finally tasting his coffee. He’s not a fan, but it’s decent enough for him to keep coming to see Jongin. 

“Yes, _mom_ ,” Baekhyun mocks, resting his head on his palm. “Hey, I haven’t showed you how my date looks like, have I?” Chanyeol shakes his head with his palm outstretched and Baekhyun hands his phone over. 

“His name is Sehun and he’s such a catch,” Baekhyun sighs dreamily. He goes on to talk about what a charming person this Sehun is as Chanyeol looks through the photos. At first, they’re all body shots or photos with his face covered in some way. Chanyeol is annoyed and he’s about to hand the phone back to Baekhyun, but there’s something awfully familiar about the person and that makes him look a little longer. When he finally gets to see the date’s face, he snorts, “dude, small world. Sehun is Jongin’s co-worker. They seem close, too.”

Baekhyun balks at that statement, taking his phone back to take another look at the photos. “No way. Then I promise to be the best wingman there is and get as much info as I can about Jongin,” he announces, clasping Chanyeol’s hands, and Chanyeol sighs. “Just focus on your date, Baek.”

“Give me a sec,” Baekhyun says, getting up from his seat. He walks towards an unsuspecting Jongin and flashes him a smile, “hey. So I actually have a date tonight, and my friend over there-” he tilts his head in Chanyeol’s direction, “-says that you know the guy. His name is Sehun. Jet black hair, hazel eyes, killer eyebrows...” 

“And what if I know him?” Jongin asks cautiously as he wipes his soiled counter.

“Then give me some pointers, please? I’m really interested in Sehun and I wouldn’t want to bore him,” Baekhyun answers, pouting and clasping his hands together. Jongin scoffs, turning his back on Baekhyun.

“I’ll tell you more about him if you tell me your friend’s name,” Jongin proposes. He’s surprised when Baekhyun politely declines and leaves him alone, but not before telling him to _just go for it._ He takes his phone out to text Sehun about his short conversation with Baekhyun, and looks at the pair sitting by the window. Jongin can’t figure out why the regular just wouldn’t give him his name. Even his friend is trying so hard to conceal his identity—why are they being so secretive? Jongin is convinced he’s secretly a famous person.

When Baekhyun leaves, Chanyeol is left alone with an empty mug and his laptop. He’s already done with his client work, but he doesn’t want to leave because Jongin is still working. He knows he should probably gather some courage to approach the barista, but he doesn’t know if telling Jongin that he knows him from middle school is a good idea. It sounds kinda lame to him, so he decides against it.

“What am I doing?” Chanyeol mumbles to himself, sighing. He can’t even bring himself to say a simple hello. Sure, they were kinda friends in middle school, but it was only because _his_ friends were friends with Jongin. He and Jongin had barely talked then, if his memory serves him right. Will Jongin even remember him? 

He can’t deny that Jongin was momentarily forgotten throughout his high school and college days. It’s only recently that he’s seen Jongin again, after nearly _ten years_ that he has decided to approach him. Of course it isn’t literally the first time in these 8-ish years that he has bumped into Jongin, but this is the first time that Jongin has noticed him too—and sadly, the man does not remember him. But Chanyeol can’t blame him since he knows he’s changed a lot, physically, but it still stings a little.

He’s feeling kind of disheartened all of a sudden and his mind is telling him to leave and just forget about Jongin, but there’s also something about Jongin that makes him want to stay. There’s something about Jongin that makes Chanyeol so inexplicably drawn to him, and it’s definitely not just because he finds Jongin handsome. He _wants_ to talk to Jongin, but he doesn’t know how to talk to someone like him. Someone who has it all and doesn’t even need a person like Chanyeol in his life. 

Chanyeol is about to pack his things up and leave when someone sits where Baekhyun was, and he’s dumbfounded when he looks up to see Jongin. The barista shrugs, placing a drink in front of him. “It’s my break time,” he breaks the silence. “Were you planning on leaving?” Jongin pouts a little and Chanyeol can’t bring himself to say yes.

“No, I was just about to go to the restroom,” he says instead.

“Oh, don’t let me stop you then,” Jongin replies, getting up. “I’m just gonna get my food and I’ll be right back. You don’t mind, right? Me sitting here with you.” Chanyeol hurriedly shakes his head no and stands up as well, heading to the restroom.

When he comes back, there are three cups on the table. Chanyeol is puzzled, but he doesn’t say anything and offers a smile when Jongin notices him. “I got you another drink, since you’re done with yours,” Jongin says, gesturing to Chanyeol’s empty mug. “It’s on the house. The manager likes you.”

Chanyeol blushes a little and gratefully picks the drink up. “He didn’t have to. Thank you.”

Before he gets to take a sip, Jongin tells him that it’s not his usual drink, but he assures him that he will like it. Chanyeol hesitantly drinks up, and he raises his eyebrows when he finds that the drink is actually pretty good. “What is this?”

Jongin seems pleased by his reaction and he leans back smugly. “White chocolate mocha,” he answers. “I made it a little less sweet for you. You don’t seem to be a fan of overly sweet stuff,” Jongin notes, and Chanyeol nods his head in reply. They don’t talk much and they sit in comfortable silence as Jongin wolfs down his food.

“So…” Jongin trails off, dabbing his mouth with a tissue. “I don’t know why you won’t just give me your _name,_ but at least give me something to work with. I wanna get to know you.” 

“That’s kinda sudden,” Chanyeol confesses, looking up from his laptop screen. “You don’t even know who I am.”

“Am I supposed to recognise you?” Jongin questions warily. Chanyeol only shrugs and Jongin sighs.

“You know, there’s something really familiar about you but I just don’t know what it is,” Jongin declares. “I’ll figure that out soon for sure.” He’s pretty sure Mr. Superhero knows him and that Jongin’s supposed to recognise him, but his mind is blanking out. 

“Why do you wanna get to know me?” Chanyeol asks.

“I’m not gonna lie, it’s because I think you’re attractive,” Jongin answers, “and as creepy as it sounds, I've been watching you since the first time you set foot in the store, and you seem like a really nice person too. And I like my comics. My other friends don't. Please be my friend. You don't have to tell me your name if you're not comfortable with it,” he babbles.

Chanyeol feels a little guilty about hiding his identity from Jongin, but he really doesn't want to disappoint by revealing that he's chubby little ferret boy from grade nine. And he doesn't want to hear Jongin say things like "you're so much handsomer now" or “look how hot you’ve become”, because it doesn’t sit well with him. He wants Jongin to be different from the others, so Chanyeol doesn’t tell him who he is in order to continue living in his fantasy.

“When’s your birthday?” Chanyeol asks him instead.

“Um. July ‘92. Why?”

“I’m January ‘92, so you can just call me hyung for now,” Chanyeol smiles.

“...Okay,” Jongin agrees, “I’ll wait for you to tell me your name, then.” _If you’d only notice that I always give you the same 8 names, maybe you’d know,_ Chanyeol thinks. It isn’t like he decided right on the spot to give his name through fictional characters—Colossus was just a coincidence. It’s his favourite superhero, so it was the first that came to mind when he was thinking of a name to give Jongin.

When he went home that day he first met Jongin, he was thinking of a way to subtly drop his name, and Chanyeol decided to give him the same 8 names over and over until Jongin connects the dots. He’s cycled through the list of names about three times, and he’s starting to think maybe it’s not as easy as he thought it would be. 

The clattering of Jongin’s utensils jolts him out of his reverie, and he realises that Jongin is leaving. He glances at the time. “Is your break over so soon?”

“Oh, no, I’m just going for a walk. I don’t want to bother you,” Jongin says, scratching the back of his head. Chanyeol is quick to stop him, lightly pressing a hand on Jongin’s arm in an attempt to make him stay. “It’s okay, you aren’t bothering me. Stay, we can talk,” Chanyeol offers, and he hopes to God he didn’t sound desperate just then. Jongin beams at him and Chanyeol can’t help but return that bright smile.  


Jongin is a little upset that Minseok didn’t cave in and tell him what he knows in the end even though he didn’t hold up his end of the deal, but he walks home with a spring in his step anyway, happy that he finally made progress with Mr. Superhero. He texts Sehun on his way home, asking him how his date went and updates him on the regular.

Sehun is quick to reply, saying the date _‘went okay’_ and Jongin takes it as a sign that it didn’t. He dials Sehun’s number and takes out his keys to open his door.

 _“He’s soooooo my type but we sooooo do not get along,”_ is the first thing Sehun says when he picks up the phone. _“We’re complete opposites. The only thing we have in common is that we’re both really attracted to each other. Tinder sucks.”_  

Jongin laughs, kicking his shoes off as he enters his home. “I don’t see how that’s Tinder’s fault. Opposites attract, I guess?”

 _“I don’t know,”_ Sehun says, his voice monotonous. _“kinda wanna make this work, kinda wanna find someone else. He’s 11/10, for sure. He asked me out on another date. I appreciate his persistence even though it’s clear as day that we are worlds apart.”_  

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Jongin replies. He puts Sehun on speakerphone and takes off his shirt and jeans, sighing in content when he starts to feel the cool breeze of his air conditioner. “Just give him a chance. He seems like a really nice guy, although a bit flirty.”

 _“I’ll go on another date with him if you’ll tag along,”_ Sehun says, and Jongin scoffs at his suggestion.

“Seriously? How is that a date then? I’m gonna be a fucking third wheel.”

 _“A double date,”_ Sehun announces, _“I’ll get him to bring your superhero guy along. They’re friends, aren’t they?”_

 Jongin considers the offer and tries to be nonchalant about it. “...Well, if you say so. If superhero man is fine with it, I don’t mind.” 

 _“I know you’re dying of excitement inside,”_ Sehun teases, _“don’t have to act so unaffected. I’ll text you the details when we’ve planned it.”_

“Shut up. I’m gonna shower. Good night, Sehunnie,” Jongin greets affectionately, and Sehun bids him goodbye. He’d be lying if he says he isn’t looking forward to the ‘double date’.  


The next time he sees Mr. Superhero is on the day of the date, but much earlier than the time they agreed to meet at. Jongin is working the evening shift as usual, and Mr. Superhero is once again with Baekhyun. Today, he is Nightcrawler, and he ordered a white chocolate mocha, the drink that Jongin gave him last Saturday. The both of them are sitting by the window and staring unabashedly at Jongin.

They are, surprisingly, the only two customers in the shop. Business is always a little slow on Wednesday evenings, but the shop is almost never this empty. Jongin ignores them at first, but then it starts to get unbearable and he shouts at them, “what?” 

Minseok comes out of the kitchen to see what the commotion is about, and Jongin smiles sheepishly at him, apologising for the noise. “It’s nothing,” he says, pushing Minseok back into the kitchen. 

Baekhyun shrugs. “This guy here thinks you look really hot in the apro- _mmf._ ” His mouth is covered before he gets to finish his sentence, but it’s too late. Jongin laughs, his cheeks pinking. He’s walking to their table to remove their empty cups.

When Chanyeol removes his hand from Baekhyun’s mouth, Baekhyun is quick to praise Jongin. “Your hair looks really good today. You should have it up more often,” he says kindly.

“Thank you,” Jongin replies, happy that his effort is noticed.

“Don’t mind us, we’re just gonna stay here till it’s time to leave,” Chanyeol quickly says, embarrassed.

“You don’t have to,” Jongin replies. “You should go home and freshen up. I’m sure the both of you are tired.”

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol reassures with a smile, and Jongin swears his heart is thumping too loudly. 

When Jongin gets off his shift, Minseok pulls him aside for a moment. “Do you still want to know what I know about your superhero man? He did order a different drink today afterall.” 

Jongin eagerly nods, curious to know more. Minseok smirks, leaning against the wall. “You probably haven’t noticed, but he only ever stays until we close when you’re the one on closing duty. On days that you don’t, he doesn’t stay too long.”

Jongin is confused at first, but then it dawns on him that he never ever notices because on the days he leaves early, Mr. Superhero probably doesn’t leave until he does. And then it clicks. “Last Friday,” he recalls. “He left earlier than I expected. Because my shift ended?”

“Bingo,” Minseok winks.

“So he’s interested,” Jongin says, more of a statement than a question. “So he isn’t going on the date just because Baekhyun asked him to.”

His manager shrugs and pats him on the back. “It’s up to your own interpretation,” he reminds. “Don’t you have a date to go on?” 

Jongin blushes. “Wait, does Sehun know about this?”

“Pretty sure the entire staffing knows. We do love our gossip,” Minseok answers.

“That asshole,” Jongin mutters. “Thanks hyung, see you! I’ll do those full-shifts I promised.”

“Don’t sweat it. I don’t actually need you so often, just come in as usual unless you don’t mind helping a little more. Enjoy your date,” Minseok says sweetly, and he waves goodbye. 

Jongin is a lot more determined to find out Mr. Superhero’s real name now.  


Jongin and Chanyeol are walking alongside each other while Baekhyun and Sehun walk ahead, both of them inaudibly arguing over something. Jongin regrets not bringing his coat out with him, the night slightly too chilly for his liking. Thankfully, his date notices and takes off his blazer, handing it to Jongin.

“Put this on, it’ll be warmer for you,” he says, looking away. He wants to put it on Jongin, but he thinks it’s a bit too much. Jongin thinks otherwise.

“Put it on me,” he teases, his eyes meeting Chanyeol’s when the man looks at him, surprised. Chanyeol coughs awkwardly and tenderly places the blazer over Jongin’s frame, gently smoothing it down. 

“Thank you,” Jongin murmurs, and Chanyeol nods stiffly. He’s not very used to things like this. “Hey. A little birdie told me that someone’s been staying until my shifts end,” Jongin reveals, and Chanyeol chokes on air.

“And that he only leaves after I do on days that I don’t close up,” Jongin presses, enjoying the way Chanyeol turns red.

“Does I fluster you, _Nightcrawler_?” Jongin muses. “What’s with all these names? I swear I’ll say your real name one day. What do you work as, anyway?” He asks, the weight of the blazer finally registering. 

“I’m a banker,” Chanyeol vaguely replies. He doesn’t want to go into the details because he thinks it’s boring, but Jongin wants to know more, so he humours the man. 

“That’s pretty fascinating,” Jongin breathes, once Chanyeol is done with his explanation.

Chanyeol begs to differ. “It’s boring work, not to mention tiring and time-consuming.”

“Do you hate your job?” Jongin asks, and Chanyeol shakes his head. “I quite like it, but sometimes it just gets on my nerves.” Their conversation about Chanyeol’s job is cut short when they arrive at their destination, a popular _chimaek_ place nestled in the heart of town. 

Baekhyun and Sehun are still bickering over something that Jongin probably doesn’t care about, so he steps in and asks for a table for four. They are led to a table promptly, and Jongin tells Mr. Superhero to go ahead and order whatever.

“Jongin,” Sehun calls. “Tell this idiot here that strawberries are the superior fruit.”

“Strawberries are the superior fruit,” Jongin repeats lamely. He turns to Mr. Superhero and smiles at him, and Sehun scoffs.

“Yeah, just continue acting so lovey dovey with a man whose name you don’t even know,” Sehun says bitterly, but Jongin knows there’s no bite in his words. 

“I’m working on it,” Jongin grumbles cutely (in Chanyeol’s opinion), and Chanyeol only smiles softly down at the man who’s no longer looking at him.  It feels like his feelings for Jongin are only getting stronger, and he doesn’t want to think about when Jongin inevitably finds out that he is Park Chanyeol. 

The night goes by in a jiffy, and Jongin learns a lot about Mr. Superhero during the time they spend together, but not his name. Baekhyun and Sehun are both very drunk and sleepy, and Jongin is mildly annoyed, but he knows he can never stay mad at his closest friend. 

“I guess Sehun is crashing at my place tonight,” he tells Mr. Superhero. _God,_ how Jongin wishes he knows his name. He looks at the couple in front of him enviously, napping peacefully and leaning against each other. Jongin wants to lean on Chanyeol too, but he doesn’t give in to his desire.

“Baekhyun lives with me, so nothing really changes, except for the fact that I have to baby him tonight,” Mr. Superhero replies. Jongin feels a twinge of jealousy when he learns of that, but he reminds himself that Baekhyun and his crush are _very unlikely_ to be interested in each other, since Baekhyun is very much into Sehun. “I would send you home,” he starts, but Jongin interrupts him. 

“It’s okay, l’ll take a cab back. Sehun will pay for everything today,” he says cheekily, walking to Sehun and pulling a card out from his front pocket. After Jongin makes payment at the counter, he goes back to their table, Mr. Superhero sporting a frown.

“Let’s all take a cab together,” Mr. Superhero says, and Jongin firmly declines, although he kinda wants to.

“You have work tomorrow, don’t you? Don’t waste anymore time and go home and rest,” Jongin chides. “Thank you for looking out for us anyway.”

“Well then, can I have your number?” The man sheepily asks. “O-only to make sure you get home safe!” He stammers.

Jongin crosses his arms and pouts, “only for that? I’m disappointed.”

“I- I mean, if you want to…” Chanyeol trails off, unsure. Jongin holds his palm out, beckoning to Chanyeol for his phone, and Chanyeol hastily retrieves it. Jongin enters his phone number and saves his name as _Nini._ He hands the phone back to Chanyeol, smiling. “Come on, let’s go,” he says, gently lifting Sehun up.

They stand outside in the cold night and Chanyeol tries his hardest to resist shivering. Thankfully, Jongin either doesn’t notice or doesn’t say a word. When a cab arrives, Chanyeol encourages Jongin to take it. Putting Sehun in the backseat, Jongin enters the cab before belatedly realising he still has Mr. Superhero’s blazer. He makes a move to take it off, but Chanyeol shakes his head. “You can return it next time,” he says, waving them off. 

“Text me,” Jongin winks, and the cab drives away. 

When he gets home, Sehun heavy on his back, he’s delighted to see a message from an unknown number.

 

 **Unknown sender  
** _We’re home. Hope you made it safely.  
-baekhyun’s friend_

 **You  
** _Wow, you’re pretty insistent on not telling_  
_me your name, but that’s okay. Is colossus  
ur favourite superhero?_

 **Unknown sender  
** _Haha  
__Yeah, why?_  

 **You  
** _Cool. That’s your temporary contact name then  
_ _Good night, colossus ;)_

 **Colossus  
** _Haha. Good night, Jongin-ssi. Sweet dreams :)_

 

“Jesus Christ, a wink, really, Kim Jongin?” He mutters to himself. He takes a quick shower and undresses Sehun, putting him to bed. Sehun is muttering something in his sleep, and Jongin sighs. One thing he hates about sleeping with Sehun is his sleep talking. It’s annoying when Jongin is such a light sleeper, but he tolerates it for the sake of his best friend.

“It’s in the names… nameception, man…” Sehun mumbles in his sleep, and Jongin thinks it’s odd. What the fuck is he talking about?

“N for Nightcrawler…” Sehun mumbles once again, and Jongin thinks he’s really gone mad. But it can’t be a coincidence that Sehun mentioned Nightcrawler… right? He takes his phone and opens a new note, making a list.

 

Names given to me

  1. Nightcrawler
  2. Colossus
  3. Aquaman
  4. Hulk
  5. ??????
  6. Can’t remember



 

It makes no sense to him. “Don’t tell me it’s a fucking puzzle,” Jongin breathes. It’s a shot in the dark, but it may be something. He wants to ask the man himself, but he knows he won’t get an answer from him, so he decides to take notes the next few times the man visits. But for now, he’s just going to sleep.

  


When Sehun wakes up, he doesn’t remember a thing. He doesn’t recall anything about names either, and that frustrates Jongin. They must’ve talked about it while they were already drunk and Jongin was in the restroom. He then chides Sehun for not telling him about Mr. Superhero staying till closing hours for him, and Sehun smiles sheepishly. The topics are dropped.

Jongin spends the next few days texting Mr. Superhero. He’s a lot more fun to talk to than Jongin had expected, and he’s also a lot cuter. Jongin was really expecting someone… less bubbly and cute. But not all suits are dominant and cool, he supposes. It doesn’t matter to him.

The next time Jongin sees him is three days after the double date. Jongin is a lot happier when he greets him, and he eagerly asks for a name. “Yat,” comes the reply, and Jongin is dumbfounded. He racks his brain as he tries to recall who Yat is, but to no avail. 

“Sodam Yat. He’s Ion from Green Lantern,” Mr. Superhero says, and Jongin is about to ask why he won’t just say Ion, and then he remembers that it’s probably a hint. He makes a mental note of it and smiles. “Oh, I’m not really a fan of Green Lantern,” Jongin responds and Mr. Superhero actually gives him puppy eyes. A grown man in a suit, _giving him puppy eyes._ Jongin dies a little inside.

“We can talk about it after work?” Jongin offers, and gets an eager nod in return. Jongin flirts with the customer a little more, enjoying the way he gets flustered by the littlest things. He’s able to talk for another five minutes or so before another customer comes in and Mr. Superhero goes back to his seat by the window, patiently waiting for Jongin to end his shift.

“Do you want to come over tonight?” Jongin asks, looking up at Chanyeol. They’re out of Starbucks, and he’s wearing the same blazer Chanyeol lent him three days ago, except he had it washed. “Tomorrow’s Sunday. I don’t know if you have any plans, but I’m sleeping in, so if you want, we can- I don’t know. Do whatever you want,” he says, hands in his pockets. “Sehun’s spending time with Baekhyun anyway.”

“Am I just a replacement for Sehun?” Chanyeol remarks, feigning hurt. They’re near Jongin’s apartment and he really wants to say yes.

“Yes,” Jongin plays along. “So Mr. Replacement, are you coming in or not?”

“Why the hell not, I guess,” Chanyeol shrugs, and that marks the start of their blossoming friendship.

They aren’t officially dating, but it’s something. They get closer during the next two weeks, hanging out more often than before due to Jongin’s insistence. Chanyeol used to go to Starbucks not knowing Jongin’s schedule so it was completely random, but now he only goes on the days Jongin works because Jongin texts him his schedule. And Chanyeol always makes it a point to send Jongin home, just so that he can spend more time with him.

Sometimes, they go to Jongin’s place after work and Chanyeol sleeps over. Jongin knows Chanyeol thinks it’s bizarre how Jongin just _trusts_ him even though he doesn’t know his name, but he doesn’t have an explanation for it. Jongin just feels safe with him and that’s all that matters, name or no name. Although he feels a lot better now knowing that Mr. Superhero is someone he knows from his past.

Today, Jongin decides that he will go over to his house instead.

 

 **You  
** _I’m not working today n class just ended~  
_ _Can I come over??_

 **Colossus  
** _Uh, sure…? Baek’s home though.  
_ _Here’s my address._

 **You  
** _Okay. Anything I should get otw there?  
_ _I’ll get Baekhyun out by dinnertime lol_

 **Colossus  
** _Just bring yourself lol_

 

He gets snacks on the way there anyway. For a moment there, he has the thought of snooping around the house a little to figure out Mr. Superhero’s name, but he immediately feels bad for even thinking of it. The man _must_ have his reasons for hiding it, no matter how trivial it may seem to Jongin, and he’s trying very hard to respect that.

When Jongin reaches his place nearly an hour later, he realises how much effort Mr. Superhero has been putting into him. Sure, going to see Jongin is convenient if the man works near his Starbucks outlet, but sending him home and going back is just… extremely out of the way. Hell, he wouldn’t even do it for a friend sometimes, and the man does it nearly every day—without fail. 

“Hey, you’re here,” Baekhyun says when he opens the door. “He’s in the shower. I know you’re gonna kick me out to spend ‘quality time’ with him, so I’m gonna meet Sehun. See you!” 

“See you,” Jongin replies, closing the door behind him. He resists the urge to look around, and plops down on the couch instead. The TV is still on, but he’s a little sleepy from classes, so he closes his eyes for a bit. 

Jongin smells the man before he sees him. He did, after all, come out fresh from the shower. When Jongin opens an eye, his hyung is just sitting on the sofa adjacent to his and staring… fondly at him. His gaze is soft and Jongin feels like maybe, just _maybe,_ Mr. Superhero has been harbouring feelings for him for a long time.

“Hello,” Chanyeol greets. “How was your day?” 

Jongin knows he’s into this man. He knows he likes this man a lot, but it seems like Mr. Superhero likes him more than Jongin likes him, and it’s all very surprising, considering the people at campus only like Jongin for his looks and status—he’s not used to such genuine and transparent affection. He wants to ask if they’re dating or just really good friends, but he doesn’t want to complicate things, so he just answers the question instead. “It was good. How was yours?”

“Boring. I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have asked for a day off,” Chanyeol replies.

“Do you wanna go out then?” Jongin asks, and he shakes his head no. “You’re here now so it’s fine,” he flirts, and Jongin throws a pillow at him. Deciding on a movie marathon since there’s nothing else to do, they start with horror movies. “It’s still bright out so I won’t be afraid of ghosts,” Jongin says very seriously.

Chanyeol moves to sit beside Jongin, and Jongin silently inches closer. Horror movies just give him a reason to cling onto the man, anyway. No words are exchanged as Jongin slowly begins to lean against Chanyeol’s frame minutes later, and Chanyeol places an arm around his shoulder.

They end up watching movie after movie until Baekhyun comes back to find them tangled together, asleep on the couch.

  


Jongin soon finds that a quarter of his small, small closet is taken up by Chanyeol’s clothes from all the times he’s left them at his home, and he doesn’t mind it. In fact, he likes it. It feels like they’re actually dating, but he doesn’t tell Chanyeol that. He also has Chanyeol’s hoodie from the last time they went to see a movie together, but he’s honestly not gonna let that one go and Chanyeol doesn’t mind.

It’s nearly a whole month before Jongin realises that the names are repeating themselves. He already has a list of names, and he rearranges them to find that… they still make absolutely no sense. He feels cheated, and he almost wants to give up but something is telling him that this is _it._ The answer to his question.

Sitting in his bed, he studies the rearranged list.

 

Names given to me

  1. Colossus
  2. Hulk
  3. Aquaman
  4. Nightcrawler
  5. IonSodam Yat
  6. Oracle
  7. Elektra
  8. Loki



 

Okay, so not all of them are superheroes. But what’s most important is that Mr. Superhero _is telling him this for a reason_. “Khanya… no. What the fuck is this?” Jongin wonders aloud. 

“Okay, so it makes no sense in Korean,” he tells himself. “Try English then.” He writes the names in English with the help of Google, and finds that the first letter of each character spells a name when put together.

“Chanyeol,” he says to himself. “Oh my god, it’s Chanyeol!”

 

 **You  
** _Hey! Are you coming today? :)_

 **Chanyeol  
** _Of course. What’s up?_

 **You  
** _Nothing, just missed ur face ㅂㅇㅂ_  
_I’m only working till 7 today so let’s go out later!!!!  
__I have a surprise for you~_  

 **Chanyeol  
** _Okay, see you ㅎㅅㅎ_

 

“Stop smiling at your phone and get back to work,” Minseok chides, and Jongin hastily pockets his phone.

“I wasn’t- was it that obvious?” Jongin asks, and Minseok nods his head. “Superhero man treating you well?”

Jongin smiles bashfully. “I’d say we’re doing pretty well.” Minseok recognises that look—Jongin is about to go into one of his Mr. Superhero-induced hazes.

“Okay, okay, stop spacing out. Or do you want to go on your break now? There’s no one here,” Minseok suggests.

“Yeah, because it’s the school holidays so no one has to study,” Jongin laughs. “No, I’m good. I wasn’t planning to go on a break today anyway. You know, I finally know superhero dude’s name and I feel so accomplished.”

Minseok is surprised. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Jongin hums, refilling their coffee beans. “Turns out, he’s someone I knew in middle school. Small world, huh? He’s changed a lot though, I obviously didn’t recognise him at all.”

“It can’t be that much of a change,” Minseok says skeptically, rolling his eyes. Jongin doesn’t say a word and shows him a photo of Chanyeol in his middle school days instead. “Okay,” he concedes, “but there’s no way they are the same person.”

“Well, I haven’t asked him myself but I’m 95% sure it’s the same person,” Jongin replies. It’s been three days since he found out Chanyeol’s real name, and he hasn’t told the latter about it. He intends to ask when Chanyeol comes by later, and he’s excited to see Chanyeol’s reaction. 

“Speak of the devil,” Minseok mutters, and Jongin turns around to see Chanyeol entering.

“Hey! You’re here early,” Jongin chirps, smiling.

“Work ended early today,” Chanyeol replies. “What did you have for me today?”

“Eager, aren’t we?” Jongin teases, “that can wait. What’s your drink today?”

“White chocolate,” Chanyeol says, and Jongin waits in anticipation for the superhero name. If his ‘calculations’ are correct, today should be… “Elektra.” _Bingo._

“One white chocolate mocha for Elektra, comin’ right up,” Jongin yells, and Chanyeol stifles a laugh. He knows this feeling—it’s familiar. It’s just like the first time he and Jongin met. Even then, he was smitten. Curious and yearning to be this boy’s friend. Now with Jongin in his reach, with Jongin by his side nearly every day, it’s still not enough. He wants to be Jongin’s one and only, he wants the reassurance that he’ll be the only one, but Jongin doesn’t even know who he is and Chanyeol’s afraid he’s dug too deep of a hole for himself. He sighs quietly as he waits for his drink, and Jongin notices it.  “What’s got you upset?” 

“It’s nothing. I just…” _I just wished I never hid my name from you in the first place._ “...I just missed you a lot.” _I hope you won’t leave my side._  

Jongin cooes at him and hands him his drink. “I’m here now, aren’t I?” he says fondly. “Let’s go over to my place later. There’s this new TV series I want to watch with you.” 

“I can’t stay too late today, I have work tomorrow,” Chanyeol laments, and Jongin giggles.

“Tomorrow’s a public holiday, silly,” Jongin reminds. “Sleep over tonight.” Chanyeol hesitantly agrees. Tonight feels different somehow.

 

They end up ordering take-out instead of buying food on the way back home. Chanyeol is not his usual bubbly self and Jongin doesn’t want to pry. He did ask Chanyeol if anything upsetting happened, but Chanyeol seems pretty out of it today.

“You’re awfully quiet today, Chanyeol,” Jongin comments, three episodes into the new show. Chanyeol nods dumbly, unaware that Jongin just said his name. “Chanyeol. _Chanyeol,_ ” Jongin calls urgently, and Chanyeol snaps out of it. 

“Sorry, I was- wait, _what?_ ”

“Surprise!” Jongin exclaims. “I know your name now! I finally figured it out like three days ago. That was one tough acrostic.” Chanyeol isn’t sure he’s ready to hear what Jongin is probably going to say next. He wants Jongin to remember him, but not for how he looked like or for his fucking ferret. He wants to be remembered as Park Chanyeol. Just Park Chanyeol.

A wave of relief washes over him when Jongin says, “we used to be friends in middle school, didn’t we? Your mom used to bake sweets for you to share with us. It was cool. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me it was you! Man, you’ve changed a lot. I’m not gonna lie, I was really surprised. But I’m glad it’s you.” 

“Glad?” Chanyeol echoes. He has so many questions, but he doesn’t really know where to start. Jongin nods, grinning at him. The show is still playing in the background with the volume turned down, and Chanyeol thinks the chatter is somewhat relaxing.

“Well, we lost touch after graduation since we went to different high schools, and I couldn’t find you since no one knew where you went to. I can’t believe you didn’t even tell me where you went,” Jongin says, sighing. He leans his head against Chanyeol’s shoulder, and Chanyeol’s heart beats wildly. Jongin still smells faintly of coffee beans and sanitiser. _He remembers._

“I know we weren’t exceptionally close then, but I can’t help but think of you sometimes,” Jongin admits, “you were different from our other friends, that’s for sure.” Chanyeol can’t say a word. He wants to say something, but nothing comes out. Thankfully, Jongin just keeps on talking on his behalf.

“‘I’ve tried finding you on Facebook before! But I forgot your last name,” Jongin laughs. “Now that I think of it, I think I’ve seen your profile before, but it didn’t seem like you were the person I was looking for. I mean, you look really different, and your profile has little to no public info about your childhood. Wow, this feels a little weird, but in a good way,” he goes on. “You knew it was me right from the start?”

Chanyeol can only nod. He doesn’t trust his voice. He’s so happy that he’s pretty sure he can barely form coherent sentences. “Well, I suppose I haven’t changed much,” Jongin muses, taking the whole situation better than Chanyeol expected him to. “Probably gotten handsomer. That’s a good thing.”

They sit in comfortable silence as Jongin resumes the show, and Chanyeol waits patiently for the episode to end before finally saying something. “I was shocked that you didn’t recognise me at first, but then I remembered that I didn’t always look like this,” he says slowly, gesturing to himself. “I’ve always been attracted to you in some way, and _oh my god,_ I tried _so_ hard to impress you as a kid,” he gushes embarrassingly as he buries his face in his hands.

“But I was always that ugly ferret kid and I was so afraid that was the only impression that you had of me,” Chanyeol continues, voice muffled. “A part of me wanted to tell you who I was, but another just wanted to keep it hidden for a while. I just wanted to be the mysterious suited regular and forget that I was ever a weirdo in middle school, but it’s hard when you always bring out the child-like side of me.” 

“You weren’t a weirdo,” Jongin cuts in, frowning. “That makes no sense. I’m 101% sure literally _no one_ thought you were weird. And dude, you had a fucking _ferret._ That was so cool. Most of us only had hamsters or something.”

“You know, I’m starting to think you’re the weird one,” Chanyeol teases, smiling a little.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a little eccentric,” Jongin simply says. “Everyone has their own little tidbit. I can’t believe that’s what you were worried about. I spent _nearly four months_ trying to figure your name out. I thought you were some CEO or something at first, turns out you’re Park Chanyeol from middle school!”

Chanyeol shrugs, feeling a lot better about himself. He wants to ask Jongin about his apparent suit fixation, but he doesn’t. Maybe next time. “Sorry, just a banker.”

“Still hot,” Jongin retorts, nudging him. “So, you liked me, huh?”

“Still do,” Chanyeol mutters. Jongin lightly grasps his chin, smiling softly as he turns Chanyeol’s head to face him. “Now that that’s out of the way, will you be my boyfriend? Because I like you too, in case I haven’t been obvious enough.” 

“Don’t you think it’s a little too soon? We’ve only been getting to know each other for two months or so,” Chanyeol points out, his cheeks still being squished. It’s Jongin’s turn to shrug as he lets go of Chanyeol’s face.

“ _Technically,_ we’ve known each other since middle school, we just lost contact with each other. And it’s not too soon for me when I’ve been dying to make you mine since I first laid eyes on you. _Plus,_ you can’t deny we’re already kinda acting like boyfriends.” 

“Didn’t know you had it in you to be this cheesy,” Chanyeol says, trying to act cool about it. Truth is, he’s over the moon with Jongin’s confession. “Whatever you say then, Mr. Kim. I’ll be your boyfriend.”

“I was expecting a more enthusiastic response and perhaps a kiss,” Jongin hints, tilting his cheek to the side and poking at it. Chanyeol playfully pushes him away, blushing. “You’re impossible.” He leans in anyway to peck Jongin on the cheek, and Jongin wiggles in delight.

Chanyeol wonders how long this period of euphoria will last. It just seems too good to be true, but he accepts it anyway because he’s finally got what he wanted. All that matters in this moment is Jongin.

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoyed writing this! I have a bonus written halfway and I might post it. this is beta'ed story-wise but I think my friend forgot to actually look for grammatical errors etc so pardon any mistakes! I've given it a read myself. comments are appreciated as always (⌒‿⌒)
> 
> p.s. am I the only one who thinks colossus is hot LOL


End file.
